Excellence

Its one of those things that you know it when you see it. A well built automobile, a well designed kitchen gadget, an excellent speaker, a great performer.

Often it is easier to describe excellence by example than by definition.

That is how I feel today. In my role as a Tony voter, I get to see a lot of theater, and over the past few weeks I have seen nearly a dozen performances. Nearly all are well wrought and executed. Some are terrific. Some are sublime.

That is when the meaning of excellence is easier described by Alfred Molina’s portrayal of Mark Rothko in Red, and Christopher Walken in A Behanding in Spokane, and the choreography of Twyla Tharp for Come Fly With Me than by any words I could assemble to define it. The casts of Memphis and Fences go beyond what words can bring meaning to. I walked out of each performance amazed at the human capacity to communicate emotion and story and history and humor and passion.

And to do it repeatedly. Eight times a week for weeks on end. To roll with the various surprise reactions of the audience. To know that there are no second or third takes.

There are writers and designers and crew that equally share the praise, but right now, it is the amazing ability to act that captures me and reminds me of the best that we can achieve.

3 Responses

How fortunate you are to be able to be a part of such artistry. Alfred Molina is an incredible actor and always wonderful. I love the Tony’s because they do showcase those actors who toil away for many performances each week and most of whom are not commercially recognized as their peers in the ‘movies’.